News

Concealed Alcohol in Green Tea Bottles Found in an Eatery at Orchard at 3:40am

2020-12-23 , 9:00 am

Just a few days ago, the authorities warned F&B establishments that they’d be carrying out more checks to ensure they are complying with safe management measures.

The concern for authorities is that residents will disregard safe distancing rules in the haze of their merriment while dining out with friends and family.

The safe thing to do here would be to follow the rules, because the extra cash you’d make breaking the rules wouldn’t be worth the risk in the end if you had to close.

So, naturally, these F&B establishments decided to let large groups of people sit together and concealed alcohol in green tea bottles.

Five F&B Outlets Ordered to Close

Five F&B outlets were caught breaching safe management measures or serving alcohol past 10.30pm between 11 and 19 December.

They were all ordered to suspend operations for 10 to 20 days, according to a press release by the Ministry of Sustainability and Environment (MSE) on Tuesday (22 Dec).

Here are the details:

Cheers Up

On 11 Dec, Cheers Up (2 Havelock Road, #02-09, Havelock II) was caught allowing patrons to consume alcoholic beverages past 10.30pm.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) issued an order to close for 10 days from 19 Dec to 28 Dec.

Cheers Up should have learned its lesson, but when officers returned to the establishment for a follow-up check on 18 Dec, they found patrons consuming alcoholic beverages at 11.15pm.

And as well all know, 11.15pm comes after 10.30pm.

So, URA issued another closure order, this time for 20 days from 29 December 2020 to 17 January 2021.

One Min Club

On 19 December, One Min Club (100 Orchard Road, #02-100, Concorde Hotel), was found to have committed multiple breaches of safe management measures.

These include:

allowing a group of 7 individuals to sit together
allowing a group of 11 individuals to sit together
providing drinking games to patrons

Under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020, F&B establishments are not permitted to provide games if they are not also an amusement centre.

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has issued an order requiring the operator to close the premises for a period of 10 days from 20 to 29 Dec 2020.

Tangmen

We all know it’s illegal to serve alcohol past 10.30pm these days, but that some establishments are doing it anyway.

Most of them were caught serving it an hour or so after the stipulated time.

But Tangmen took things to a whole new level.

Patrons at Tangmen (150 Orchard Road, #03-35, Orchard) were caught drinking alcoholic beverages at 3.40am.

Not just that, the alcoholic beverages were concealed in green tea bottles.

How dare they defile our sacred green tea bottles?

STB has issued an order requiring the operator to close the premises for a period of 10 days from 19 to 28 Dec 2020.

Chong Qing Steamboat

On 19 December, Chong Qing Steamboat (87 Beach Road, #01-02) was found to have a group of eight patrons intermingling at 10pm.

URA has issued an order requiring the operator to close the premises for a period of 10 days from 23 December to 1 January 2021.

QQ

On 19 December, officers also observed patrons at QQ (77 South Bridge Road, #01-01) consuming alcoholic beverages at 10.40pm

URA has issued an order requiring this operator to close as well, for a period of 10 days from 23 December to 1 January 2021.

52 Fines Issued for Breaches of Safe Management Measures

In addition, 16 outlets and 36 individuals will be fined for breaching safe management measures.

These breaches were found during the stepped-up enforcement checks conducted over the last weekend, MSE said.

Those with repeated offences will face harsher penalties.

As for the rest of F&B establishments, do follow the rules over the festive period not just because Big Brother is watching, but because it’s the safe thing to do for your patrons.

Featured Image: Singapore Tourism Board